Does drinking chai count as hydrating? Is 2020 a psychological experiment? Can Justin Bieber write truly conscious music? There are many questions to which I don’t know the answer…
Go ahead and grab yourself a tall glass of water (or tea, if you so dare) and strap in for a few fun feels.
It’s been a while since we last spoke, and so many things have unravelled since then. First of all, we elected a man at least 37% better than the last one [proprietary supervised neural network math algorythmics, please ask no questions]. His relative superiority aside, I’m not sure Biden will be bold enough. Will he stand up against big-corps and endow Americans with their well-deserved public rights? [Like access to healthcare and a quality education that nourishes the brain... And an assurance of due process and finally-justice-for-all]. I’m also staying hopeful, but I think it’s healthy to express skepticism and hold the teary-eyed full-of-promises election-year institutions accountable. How can I do that? What organizations are doing that good work that I should donate to?
On a more joyful, warmer note, Simit & I got married. We tied the knot in Maine at Acadia National Park with two of our dear friends, Julie & Fran. The four of us were neighbors in Bushwick. We continue to weave onto the braid on a daily basis. The first knot was a beautiful weekend of exploration, laughs and tears. It was unforgettable. It was also surprisingly chilly. None of us will ever forget that bone gripping cold. Till death or these wind gusts do us apart, I’ll say!
We’ve done a few small celebrations with friends and family since 9/11. Not in memory of the tragic mistake that is violence, but instead because that’s when our officiant was available. We’ll continue to celebrate wherever we go, until the end of time. I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate love with you! Here are some pictures so far.
I’m curious to know: what does marriage mean to you? To me, it felt like photographing and framing a snapshot of something we’ve been carefully sculpting together over the course of the last three years. I say something because it’s embedded in every action, word and dream that flows between us. And this snapshot is a moment in time that we can take to celebrate with our friends and family the magic and practice of love. But in very practical terms it also means: being legally recognized as married when we travel internationally. Oh I also should not forget: tax-breaks.
Post COVID (yes, I just said that), we’re planning on doing two celebrations in Brazil: one in the delta of the Amazon river in the beautiful city of Belém, and one in the hilly and tree-full southeastern city of Campinas. We’re also planning on doing a celebration in the US outside of NYC, at a dear girlfriend’s estate. How do you want to be part of our celebrations?
We are not in need or want of any gifts, but if you’re compelled, we encourage you to donate to a humanitarian organization in need.
The last few months Simu & I have been volunteering for We Make Impact, a water filtration empowerment group. We’re headed to Kenya in two weeks to join them. We’ll be helping launch a water filtration center outside of Mombasa. At the centers, individuals get trained (for free) on how to build water filters. They get their first batch of raw materials, and can use the revenue from those sales to kickstart their water filtration business. If you have any friends or family in the Nairobi/Mombasa area, do let me know so we can meet & greet & laugh.
Well, that’s probably enough for now. How have you been? How are you planning on saying farewell to 2020? What are you taking away with you?
With a lot of love,
alda
❤️